2.6.6. Northern Asia Minor

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Article Table of Contents

A. Location, names, languages

[German source]

Northern Asia Minor, constituting the southern shore of the Black Sea, comprised the ancient cultural landscapes of Bithynia, Paphlagonia and Pontus. The names Bithynia and Paphlagonia derive from the names given by early Greek settlers to the local populations [11]. The Greek pontos refers in general to the sea, and in this case to the Black Sea (Póntos Eúxeinos, ‘Hospitable Sea’). Like their Phrygian nei…